With Photoshop, you can print any compatible 3D model without worrying about 3D printer limitations. In preparation for printing, Photoshop automatically makes 3D models watertight. Photoshop also generates the necessary support structures—scaffolding and rafts—to ensure that your 3D prints are successful.

Preparing to print 3D objects

Select Window > Workspace > 3D to switch to the 3D workspace.

Open the 3D model in Photoshop. If necessary, customize the size of the 3D model while opening it.

Select 3D > 3D Print Settings.

3D Print Settings

In the 3D Print Settings panel, choose whether you want to print to a printer connected to your computer through a USB port (local printer) or use an online 3D printing service, such as Shapeways.com or Sculpteo.

Note:

You can now print 3D models as 3D Manufacturing Format (3MF) files. While specifying the 3D Print Settings, select Print To: Local and Printer:3MF File. When you print the 3D object, Photoshop generates the 3MF file. On computers running Windows, Photoshop also launches Microsoft 3D Builder for you to work further on the 3MF file.

Note:

To refresh the list of supported printers or online profiles, select Get Latest Printers from the Print To pop-up menu.

Select a unit for the printer volume—inch, centimeter, millimeter, or pixel. The unit is reflected in the Printer Volume dimensions as well as the print plate measurements.

A. 3D model B. Print plate C. Printer volume overlay

Select a Detail Level—Low, Medium, or High—for the 3D print. The time required to print the 3D object depends on the detail level that you choose.

If you don't want to see the 3D printer volume overlaid on the 3D model, deselect Show Printer Volume Overlay.

Adjust the Scene Volume dimensions to specify the desired size of the printed 3D object. When you change a value (X, Y, or Z), the other two values are scaled proportionately. As you modify the Scene Volume dimensions, notice that the print plate under the 3D model scales in proportion.

Note:

You can scrub the value of a Scene Volume dimension by clicking the dimension label (X, Y, or Z) and then dragging the mouse left or right. Hold down the Shift key to make the value scrub faster.

Choose Scale To Print Volume if you want Photoshop to auto-scale your 3D model, such that it fills up the available print volume of the selected printer.

If the 3D model has normal maps, bump maps, or opacity maps; you can choose to ignore one of more types of these maps while printing the model. You'll notice that the 3D model updates in real time when you change these Surface Detail settings.

You may choose to not print the support structures (scaffolds or rafts) required for the 3D object. Use this option with caution, since the printing of the 3D model may fail if you don't print a necessary support structure.

If your printer supports multiple materials, choose the material that you want to use for printing the 3D object.

(Experimental) Enable multitone printing for MakerBot Replicator 2x

You can enable an experimental feature that lets you print continuous tones using your MakerBot Replicator 2x 3D printer.

Prerequisite: Enable experimental features

As a prerequisite to multitone printing, you must enable experimental features in Photoshop:

Select Preferences > Experimental Features.

Select Enable Multitone Printing.

Click OK.

Restart Photoshop.

Note:

Experimental features are not yet production-ready. Use these features with discretion.

If you want to export the 3D print settings to an STL file, click Export and save the file to an appropriate location on your computer. You can upload the STL file to an online service or put it on an SD card for local printing.

3D print utilities

Photoshop provides interactive wizard-based utilities that you can use for configuring, calibrating, and maintaining your 3D printer. You can use these utilities only when the 3D printer is powered on and connected to your computer.

Select 3D > 3D Printer Utilities.

Select the utility that you want to launch.

Calibrate Print Plate

Helps level the print plate. This utility performs the following broad steps:

Prompts you to remove any leftover printing material from the 3D printer

Initializes the print head

Lets you adjust/finetune the gap between the print plate and the print head for nine nozzle positions

Direct USB printing with the MakerBot Replicator 5th Generation printer profile is not supported yet. You can export the files you want to print to a USB stick and then print them locally.

Can I apply a cross section to a 3D model before printing it?

Yes. You can define cross sections to slice away parts of a 3D model before printing. Follow these broad steps:

Select Window > Workspace > 3D to switch to the 3D workspace.

Open the 3D object you want to print.

Select Scene in the 3D panel.

In the Properties panel, select Cross Section.

Specify settings for the cross section in the Properties panel.

Select 3D > Apply Cross Section To Scene.

Print the 3D scene.

Before printing, you must bake the cross section you've defined.

Slicing away a cross section of a sphere before printing

Can I apply bump/opacity/normal maps to a 3D model before printing it?

Yes. Follow these broad steps:

Select a material in the Scene panel.

In the Properties panel, click the folder icon () next to Bump/Opacity/Normal and load a texture. You can also define a new texture that you want to apply to the 3D model.

If you're defining a new texture, save the texture. The texture is applied to the 3D model as a bump/opacity map.

Print the 3D model.

Applying a bump map to a 3D model before printing

Applying an opacity map to a 3D model before printing

Can I print 3D models in two colors?

If your 3D printer is equipped with two heads, you can print 3D models in two colors. The Print Properties panel displays pop-up options for the additional heads available. The 3D workspace and the 3D print preview display the model in two colors.

Printing a 3D model in two colors

How are 3D models having multiple layers printed?

From a printing standpoint, each layer in the 3D model is treated as a 3D object. If necessary, you can merge two or more layers (3D > Merge 3D Layers).